Day: September 13, 2015

Many Buffalo Bills fans will refer to how great the defense was in their week one win over the Indianapolis Colts. The fact of the matter is the Bills defense was lucky they weren’t playing Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning or New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, because if they did it would’ve been a different story.

The one thing that stood out throughout the first half of the game was the fact how the Bills cornerbacks were playing five yards off the line of scrimmage. In the NFL today you cannot do that as great quarterbacks like Manning and Brady will audible all day long to take advantage of it. A decade ago I was at a game at Ralph Wilson Stadium where I watched then Indianapolis Colts quarterback Manning audible all game long and pick apart the Bills defense that day.

On various downs throughout Colts offensive drives I was in disbelief of how quarterback Andrew Luck didn’t take advantage of the cushion Bills cornerbacks were giving him.

The Colts first drive of the second half was no different as on the Colts first drive in the second half they went 4-5 on third downs. The only incomplete pass came on 3rd-2 from the Bills two yard line Luck threw an incomplete pass. However, on fourth down the Colts scored and then completed the two point conversion to make the score 24-8 Bills.

The other thing that I can take away from this game is that Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor has a long ways to go to be a great quarterback in the NFL. On the Bills first drive with the offense facing a 3rd and 5 from their 46 yard line; Taylor scrambled for one yard after feeling immediate pressure. Part of the problem was Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s calling for run plays on first down.

In the second half it was different as the first two 1st-10 for the Bills were passes that were complete. The point being in the NFL you need to mix things up in the NFL in order to succeed.

However, the Bills are basic old school as they rely on their defense to make plays and their offense to control the clock and score the occasional points.

The problem with that is that great teams like the Patriots and the Broncos will exploit the Bills’ weaknesses. They will then rack up the score and make the team look silly. That’s unless the Bills take their heads out of their rears and do what is right.

In the end, unless the Bills realize that Tayor isn;’t the answer and backup quarterback E.J. Manuel is their best option, the Bills will make it 16 straight years without making the playoffs.